Tag Archives: Chris Barclay

Council District 5, MCEA

It’s Official: MCEA Drops Barclay

Interestingly, this decision leaves MCEA without an endorsed candidate in Council District 5. Unlike SEIU, they did not make the jump from Barclay to Hucker.

From MCEA’s Website:

Delegates attending today’s monthly meeting of the MCEA Representative Assembly have voted to rescind their recommendation of Christopher Barclay in the race for the District 5 seat on the Montgomery County Council. MCEA President Doug Prouty issued the following statement:

“As teachers and childhood educators, we hold ourselves to the highest of standards. It is what our community expects of all those in public service. We also believe that Chris Barclay has been – and we hope will continue to be – an important voice for our county’s neediest students, schools and neighborhoods.  Nevertheless, we regretfully withdraw MCEA’s recommendation of Mr. Barclay in the June 24th primary election for the vacant County Council District 5 office. We look forward to continuing to work with Chris as a member of the Board of Education. We believe that he – and we – can continue to be strong partners in focusing resources and attention on the challenge of closing student achievement gaps and narrowing the growing income gaps in our community. We believe Chris can have a good future in public service in the county. But in light of the recent news and financial disclosures, we cannot recommend him in this race at this time”.

The Representative Assembly consists of elected MCEA representatives from schools and worksites across the county. Approximately 130 MCEA Representatives participated in today’s discussion and decision. This action, like all candidate recommendations, required approval of a super-majority (58%) of those voting.

Approval of this motion by the MCEA Representative Assembly leaves the Association with no position in the Council 5 race.

 

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Council District 5

SEIU Local 500 Switches Endorsement to Tom Hucker

SEIU Local 500 is dropping it’s endorsement of embattled School Board Member Chris Barclay and instead endorsing State Delegate Tom Hucker in the open seat contest in Council District 5.  Press release is below.

SEIU Local 500 Endorses Tom Hucker for Montgomery County Council District 5
Hucker’s experience and progressive record cited as reasons for the endorsement

 (Gaithersburg, MD) SEIU Local 500 changed their endorsement to Tom Hucker in Montgomery County Council District 5 primary.

“For as long as our members have known and worked with Tom Hucker, he has been a steadfast supporter of our schools, our children and our community,” said Merle Cuttitta, President of SEIU Local 500. “Whether it was marriage equality, the Dream Act or funding education, Tom stood with us – and more importantly, he stood with the people of Montgomery County.  He is an experienced leader on progressive issues and he has a track record of getting things done. We have no reservations about endorsing him for the Montgomery County Council.”

Concerns that recent disclosures have become a distraction prompted Local 500 to withdraw their endorsement from Christopher Barclay and put their full support behind Tom Hucker, who has been an outspoken progressive leader in the Maryland House of Delegates.

“Christopher Barclay has been a strong advocate on behalf of our members and for education in our community,” said David Rodich, Executive Director of SEIU Local 500. “Unfortunately, recent developments have become a distraction and raised serious concerns about his electability. Our members’ number one issue in District 5 is having a progressive County Councilperson who will stand up for social and economic justice. Our members are not prepared to leave that outcome to chance. Tom Hucker has the experience and he is ready to be the progressive Councilperson District 5 needs.”

SEIU Local 500 represents over 20,000 people across Maryland and the District of Columbia, including supporting services employees in Montgomery County Public Schools and part-time faculty at Montgomery College.

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Board of Education, Council District 5

Barclay on Expenses Scandal

Statement from Christopher Barclay Regarding
Board of Education Expenses

Rockville, M.D. – (May 22, 2014) Christopher Barclay released the following statement today:

“I would like to express regret using a Board of Education-issued credit card for personal use. Though I made sure to repay the board after any personal expense, I agree that this should not be an accepted practice. There has been an active debate regarding the Board of Education’s expense policy and when expenses for school board business are appropriate. I welcome that debate. I support the existing task force recently put together by my colleague and Board of Education President Phil Kauffman to review how the board manages its expense policy. I believe the Montgomery County Council has avoided the use of county-issued credit cards all together and I would support the school board considering the possibility of a similar approach.  

This has been a teaching moment for me. As a member of the board for the past eight years, I have worked steadily to ensure that all students enrolled in Montgomery County Public Schools have access to quality education. In pursuit of this goal, I have approached my duty as a school board member as a full-time job. Expenses reimbursed by the county reflect time spent working as a member of the board including engaging parents and students in the community, sitting down with community leaders and attending conferences to learn best practices. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure a more transparent process in spending practices. I look forward to continuing to be the unwavering, dedicated advocate I am known for regarding real challenges facing our families particularly the achievement gap in our schools, income inequality, and access to equal opportunity to thrive in Montgomery County.”

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Council District 5, Montgomery County

Common Cause on Barclay Scandal

The following is a press release from Common Cause MD:

Common Cause Maryland calls for greater oversight of School Board expenditures

(Annapolis) – With two breaking stories in one week regarding expenditures by School Board members across Maryland, Common Cause Maryland calls for greater oversight and clearer policies by school boards regarding the use of taxpayer funds.

In Montgomery County, a Public Information Act discovered that school board member Chris Barclay made personal charges to the county-funded credit card. The documents also revealed meal expenses that did not follow school board procedures for authorization[1]. In Wicomico County, state auditors found school board members purchased gift cards using county credit cards, as well as several purchases made at a produce market owned by a school board member, raising questions of conflict of interest[2].

“These discoveries raise questions about both the strength of expenditure policies and the implementation of those policies,” said Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, Executive Director of Common Cause Maryland.  “School boards have to make the best use of very limited dollars. Lunches, gift cards, and personal charges on the county card hurt public trust and hurt the students that the board is supposed to serve.”

Common Cause calls on county School Boards to evaluate their spending policies and make sure they provide clear oversight for member expenditures and reimbursements. School boards should consider revoking credit cards and moving to a reimbursement system, as many county governments (including Montgomery County) have done.

Common Cause Maryland also noted the importance of the public information act in bringing these stories to light.

“Public access to government expenditures is a fundamental tool to ensure that officials are held to the highest standards. The Montgomery County story is a clear example of the importance of a well-functioning public information act that gives the public access to the information they need.”

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Contact: Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, 410-303-7954, jbd@commoncause.org

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